Bombshells
by BeachBunnyLuvsU
Summary: When a video tape linking to the murder of a college student discovered to have been working in a strip club is found, the team investigates the 1990 case. The case hits one of the detectives hard.
1. College life

_March 12, 1990 _

_(Candy- Mandy Moore)_

_It was a bright and sunny summer day at Philadelphia State University; class had just ended and students were scattering around the campus, either leaving for home or retreating to their dorms. _

_A pretty, petite brunette walked down the hall, her blonde friend, was right behind her. "So check this," the brunette said, "Tonight I gotta go home and have dinner with my family, then tomorrow we can clean the house for the Mixer and get the pledges ready. It's gonna rock Amy I just know it." she laughed along with her friend. _

_As they made their way into the hall, Natalie bumped into a tall, beautiful girl who appeared to be in her early 20s. She flipped her black hair and got up in Natalie's face, her two cronies standing behind her, waiting to back her up. _

"_Move it," she spat, "Hallway's too big for you to run into me. Maybe not enough to go running back to Kyle?" She smirked as if she won; her little minonions behind her giggling. "Maybe another night 'cause he's gonna be in my dorm." All three girls were laughing this time as Natalie could only eyeball them and stomp away, angry and ashamed. _

"_She's gonna go cry," she said with a wicked smile on her face, "Don't smear your make-up, hon." Amy turned to her and said, "Go stand on a corner hooker." Now Amy was smiling; Ashley scoffed, flipped her hair and walked away with her two friends in tow. _

_Amy ran after Natalie to calm her down, but she had already left the building. As she was running, Natalie ran into a young man in his late teens; he had a slight build, jet black hair, and a sexy smile. She looked up wide-eyed and said to him," What the hell are you doing here? What if Mike sees you, does your mom even know you have the car?" she yelled pointing to a black Pontiac sitting in front of the campus. _

_As she began scolding him like a child, Amy ran out to them and up to Natalie. "Hey chick, you okay?" she asked, deeply concerned for her friend. Natalie looked down at her feet obviously wanting to avoid the conversation. _

_The boy looked at Natalie with anger in his eyes; they looked as if they were screaming murder. "Nat," he said, "Did he do it again?" he asked in an almost demanding tone. _

_She looked away not answering; she couldn't bring herself to look into those brown eyes and tell him that she put herself in the same predicament again. But she couldn't help that she still had feelings for somebody who only saw her as a pretty face and a body. _

_Naatalie Ashford had it all: smart, pretty, popular, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Sorority, two proud parents, and a loving younger brother, but all she was missing was somebody to love. _

_Sure, it was easy to obtain sex, but finding someone to share your feelings with was hard. She took her eyes off the ground and looked him in the eyes and gave him a mischievous smile, _

"_I'll handle it, okay." a car horn took her attention off the young man and into the parking lot where a young boy poked his head out of a white SUV. "Natalie!" a boy screamed. She began to walk off, but then whipped her head to face Amy. _

"_You need a ride?" she asked her. Amy shook her head, and then replied, _

"_No thanks, I gotta get back to the house and get the girls and pledges ready for tomorrow." she began walking away as she pulled her cell phone out and began texting. _

"_Call me later." She yelled walking into the parking lot. Natalie turned to face him; she felt more confident and simply played it off. She batted her eyelashes at him to pull that serious face off of him; he couldn't help but smile. _

_She playfully tapped him on the cheek, _

"_Like I said, I can handle it. I'm practically a woman now." she turned to walk towards the car, but then turned back to him and said, "Bye stud" before blowing him a kiss. He only watched as she ran to the SUV, opened the passenger door, got in, and was greeted by her father and brother. Natalie buckled up in her seat while the driver, a man in his 40's kissed her on the head. _

"_Ready? Tonight you have the honor of cooking." He said. The little boy in the back began laughing. _

"_Don't blow up the kitchen Nat" the little boy said. Natalie turned in her seat and stuck her tongue out at him. _

"_Shut up, Ryan." _

_While looking out the window, her smile dropped. She saw a tall muscular man in his early 20s with blonde hair kissing Ashley, the same girl that Natalie bumped in the hallway. He pulled away from their kiss and pulled her into a hug. As Natalie's father started the car, he looked up at her and never took his piercing blue eyes off her. She turned her head to face forward, slumped down in her seat, and quietly folded her arms as they pulled out of the parking lot for their drive home._

_The scene then flashes to a messy construction site as a bulldozer sat in the site. Beyond the machinery, boards, and yellow tape was a shallow grave. In that grave was a dirty, bloody body. Sprawled out on the ground, the young woman lay stiff with pale skin, dull eyes, and blood spatters covering her from head to toe. Her eyes were still open; cold and dull, no life whatsoever. If you looked into those cold, dark eyes, you could look and see that she had begged for mercy; she fought a fight that was lost. Natalie Ashford's life had been ripped from her. The scene then flashes to the Philadelphia Police Department Evidence Locker Room where cold case boxes are kept. A detective carried a new box and placed it with the others. As he walked away the box read "Ashford, N." How long would it take for this tragedy to end happily with justice? _


	2. Cold Case, Old Wounds Reopened

_(Flash forward 19 years later in the Philadelphia Police Department.)_

_Detectives Lilly Rush and Scotty Valens are sitting in front of an African-American teenage delinquent in the a vacant office as he is being charged with armed robbery. Lilly looked over his files and could only shake her head. _

"_I just don't get it RaShawn. Good grades, bad decision." She said as she slapped the paper right in front of him. _

_Scotty carried on, "Robbing a liquor store while high on PCP. What was this, an experiment or peer pressure?" _

_The year's current generation was wilder than the previous; each one taking it to another level. When will kids ever learn? This is a question that everybody is always asking, but very few are answering._

"_I didn't even remember what I was doing. All I remember was waking up in my bed with lights all in my face, then being pulled out of bed. I ain't meant to hurt nobody," said the teen, pleading to get out of trouble with the law. _

_Scotty rolled his eyes at the lame excuse he gave them while Lilly took a seat next to the boy and gave him a gentle smile. _

"_RaShawn, I know you didn't want to hurt anybody, but we're still going to charge you. I'm sorry." RaShawn slumped back in his chair carelessly as he said, _

"_You.. you can still do that. What about time off if I give you something you might need?" Being ignored, he got frustrated a little too fast, and with the wrong detective_

_RaShawn cleared his throat causing Scotty to turn around. The feisty teen then snapped both his fingers above his head and pointed at himself. _

"_I don't think you heard me Valens. I got something ya'll might need."_

_Scotty couldn't help but smirk, despite the fact that he wanted to kick him in his jaw and send him flying out of his chair. _

"_Smart-ass comments are only adding up on you; keep going and I'll be the one to haul your ass off to jail." Scotty spat getting up in the boy's face, clearly not backing off._

_RaShawn realized that he was right. Kissing ass with the cops is the best way to negotiate. _

"_Wait," he shot out of his seat," I want a deal." He said; this time he looked a bit more confident than before. Lilly looked at him skeptically. Was it small or was it another cold case put away years ago? Would it even be worth their time? _

"_Wait Scotty," she got out of her seat and got close enough to her partner to whisper in his ear, "He might have something on a cold job." _

_Lilly approached RaShawn and bent down to his level to look him in the eye. She spoke to him in a gentle tone, hoping it would get him to cooperate. _

"_Rashawn, what is it you have to tell us," She asked sounding serious, "If so, is it worth looking into?" _

_The teenager nodded his head, and shoved his hand into his pocket. Out of his pocket he pulled out a perfectly folder piece of newspaper. "The cops took the video tape I had with it. It was in my book bag." He said. _

_Lilly shook her head "Okay, we can arrange that." She simply said, and began walking away to retrieve the confiscated tape as well as a VCR. Scotty looked toward Lilly then turned toward RaShawn in confusion. _

"_What were you doing with that tape?" he asked. RaShawn casually shrugged his shoulders. "I don't even remember taking it out, it belongs to my uncle." _

_Lilly unfolded the article as Scotty popped the tape into the VCR sitting next to a computer while RaShawn sat back and watched. As they were doing so, Detectives Will_

_Jeffries and Nick Vera entered the building. _

"_Hey, we miss something?" he asked. Nick looked over towards the three and responded to Will's question. _

"_We'd find out if we went over and see what's going on." He said. Lily went ahead and motioned for them to come over. Both detectives walked over towards the three to see what was going on. "_

_Hey guys, where's Kat and the boss?" Lilly asked. Will cleared his throat before answering her question. _

"_Kat had an emergency with Veronica and the boss is out picking up some food. What's all this hassle about?" Lilly answered his question by simply handing him the newspaper article, which Will began to read. _

"_We got some unseen footage as well." Said Lilly pointing at the screen. Scotty finally spoke after practically being defeated by the feisty teenage delinquent. _

"_He says he's got something on a cold job. I'll go talk to him." _

_Rubbing his forehead out of frustration and with his head down, RaShawn jumped out of surprise when the door to the office was opened._

_It was hard for Detective Valens to admit he was wrong; sucking it all up, he went ahead to apologize._

_RaShawn looked up at Scotty, with fear and desperation in his eyes. _

"_Am I going to jail?"_

"_We're working on getting you a deal. Look," he looked over his shoulder to see if his fellow detectives were looking, "I'm sorry I was a little tough on you. Now, if I can ask, how'd you get ahold of the tape?"_

"_It ain't mine, it's my uncle's; got it from a strip club in Kensington." _

_Outside the office, Nick, the least serious, was at his best of making jokes again _

"_What's this place called; maybe I've been there." He said. Everybody except Lilly laughed at his comment. Even at the most serious of times, he always said what comes to mind. _

"_The Candy Shop," piped in Scotty, who was now approaching the group, "Kid sais his uncle got a video of that girl from the newspaper in the club in 90'." Lilly pushed play and the tape began rolling. _

_A voice off-screen was heard (the announcer) as the blonde dancer onstage ended her routine, with the crowd of men jumping up and cheering. _

"_That wasn't half bad." Said Nick. _

_Without turning around, Will threw his arm out and smacked Nick right in the gut. "This ain't for your enjoyment, stay focused." He said. _

_Nick's eyes darted to him, then to the TV, making sure he wasn't taking a cheap shot behind his back. After the blonde finished her routine, the announcer called up the next girl. _

"_Up next is one of our newest. She is cute so show her all the love she needs." a brunette girl came from behind the curtain and onto the stage. "We give you our sweet, juicy new treat, Apple." _

_Scotty's eyes got big; it was HER, there on that tape, on that stage. She undid her robe and began to perform her routine. Grinding and twirling on the pole, men began to cheer and howl at her as she pulled off her skirt, revealing her pink panties. The camera zoomed in at her face, and you could see that she was uncomfortable. After about 5 minutes she stood there and began looking back towards the curtain. Unable to handle the pressure, she grabbed her skirt, and ran off the stage, all the men began booing her. The tape stopped right there. _

_Scotty sat there and stared at the screen; the only time he came out of his state of shock was when he snatched the article from Will's grasp. Everybody caught how his expression changed drastically. Nick went over to Scotty and placed his hand on his shoulder to bring him out of his state of mind. _

"_Hey," he tried to shake Scotty; even snapping his fingers took a while. "She look familiar to you?" _

_Scotty looked up at the group as they looked back at him waiting for a response. "Scotty?" Lily asked in a soft tone of voice._

"_I knew this girl." He said with such a low, sad tone "But what's she doing at a strip club in Kensington? That just wasn't the girl I knew." _

_Reality hit him hard; the unsolved case of Natalie Ashford would be reopened after 19 years. _

"_I know the guy who owns the club,"_

_Everybody turned their heads and looked to find the teen had left the office to join the conversation, _

"_Most of the guys from my school get in that club." _

_Nick stopped him in midsentence, "What, they sneak in?" he raised his eyebrows._

"_No, the owner lets em' in, gives em' booze and lets em' get with the girls in the VIP section." _

_The detectives looked at each other disgusted; providing alcohol for underage minors and allowing the strippers around them, doing God knows what, , they couldn't wait to meet this man. _

"_What's the man's name?" asked Nick. RaShawn turned to look at him, _

"_Westley James." _

_Scotty stood up, pulled out his phone, and handed it to Nick. _

"_Call the boss, tell him were bringing him that man in for questioning." He said. _

"_RaShawn, I can't thank you enough; I'll try to get something worked out for you, alright." _

_This time Scotty was smiling at the boy, and in return he smiled back. _

"_No problem," Said RaShawn. "How'd you know her? Was she your girl?"_

_Pausing for a brief moment, Scotty looked down rubbing his temple; clearly, this was an emotional moment. Lily broke away from the group, placing her hands on his shoulders._

"_It's ok to let it out," she flashed the picture, waiting for his eyes to connect with they did; he looked up almost in tears._

"_She was my friend, but I was in love with her."_


	3. A Look At The Case

_Lt. Stillman and Detective Kat Miller had arrived and were introduced to the situation. As for RaShawn he sat in the department upstairs as he waited for the detectives to come back and get him. After Will Jeffries pulled the box from the shelf, the team began to pull files, autopsy and crime scene photos, and reports from the box. _

"_Natalie Ashford, 19, stabbed and slashed over 40 times." Lt. Stillman read out. _

_He handed Kat the crime scene photos, watching her cringe at them. _

"_You'd think after dealing with death in police work, you'd be used to seeing such carnage. Each case affects us differently." Lt. Stillman said. _

_Kat took a good look at the picture; she closed her eyes and turned her head. Lilly looked over and saw how shaken she was; as hard-phased as Lilly Rush was, truth be told, she was forever haunted by the cases she solved over the years. By solving them, she not only gave the victims and their loved ones closure, but it also allows her to keep her sanity as well. _

"_Real nasty piece of work" said Nick looking at Kat's reaction. _

_Kat finally regained her posture. "Yeah. Thanksgiving wasn't even close; he really did a number on her. It looks like she put up a fight." Kat said, still grimacing at the photo. _

"_Natalie was last seen in the girl's dormitory heading home around 11." Lilly went on; Scotty grabbed the autopsy photo and glued his eyes onto it. _

"_Nobody knew what happened or where she went. People from the neighborhood and school began searching for her. Her body was found about a week and a half later at a construction site." Kat carried on. "Her right cheek bone was shattered and her ribcage was fractured."_

"_Meaning she was struck in the face and she went down." Will finished. "She tries to run, fights, he nails her in the ribs, and finishes her off."_

_Scotty pulled out the report and read it out loud, "Forensics say injuries were irregular; the weapon was a round object, broken pipe or a bottle could've been the weapon. Abrasions on her legs, meaning he dragged her and threw her in that ditch like she was trash. Sick bastard!" _

_Everybody remained quiet. "I would like to see this monster to rot in prison." said Scotty with his voice filled with anger and frustration._

_Scotty took out a picture of Natalie posing at a party. "I mean, she was like the rest of us, but she was nice, good-hearted." _

_Kat came and put a hand on his shoulder for support. She smiled and took the picture out of his hand.__ "__Pretty girl, she looked like a little bit of trouble. Were you guy's friends?" she asked looking him in the eye. _

"_Yeah," Scotty began to recall every bit about Natalie. "She went to the same school with my brother; we were all close. But, the truth was, I wanted more." _

_Will went over to console his much younger partner. "Scotty, don't let this eat at you forever; move on after you give her some peace," said Will._

_Everyone else simply smiled. Will was wise, somebody to look up to; back when he was younger he was in the same position many youngsters are in today. _

_Everybody went back to the photo when Nick brought it to their attention. _

"_The button on her pants was ripped off, and she had bruising around her neck._

_Any sign of a sexual assault?" asked Nick looking around the room. _

_Lt. Stillman then responded "No; as violent as the attack was, I'm pretty sure the doer grabbed onto whatever to hold her down," he looked toward Kat and Lilly. _

"_Contact the parents and interview them," he handed Lilly a piece of paper with the phone number and address of Natalie's home. He then turned to Scotty, _

"_Get the club owner down here; I'd like to meet the man who provides minors with alcohol and over age women."_

_Everybody began walking up the stairs: Lilly pulled out her cell phone as she and Kat began walking out the department while Scotty, Will, and Nick went back to homicide. _


	4. Family Drama

_Lilly and Kat are at the Ashford residence in the living room with Natalie's parents, Michael and Melinda, giving them the news they had been waiting on for 19 years. A couple in their 50s were standing in front of the two detectives. Natalie's mother, Melinda was beginning to cry, as her husband wrapped an arm around her for support. It flashes back to their younger selves when they were in their 30s, then flashes back to their current ages. Michael looked at his wife, and then turned back to Lilly and Kat. _

"_You're saying our daughter was a stripper?" he asked with a pain in his eyes. _

_It was hard enough to lose their daughter the way they did; now they learned that she may have bought it on herself._

_Even if they got justice for Natalie's murder, she would never come back, never have a chance to graduate, get married or start a family. _

"_Yes, and I'm very sorry." Kat responded, "A witness had a tape that may link us to your daughter's murder. Mr. and Mrs. Ashford, did Natalie have any problems at school? Friends, money or boyfriend problems?" _

_Michael sat down on the couch and took a deep breath. "Of course; she was growing up just like any other college student, you know, stepping out into the real world and experiencing life. We weren't on top of the world, so we pushed our kids to become successful." He said. _

_Lilly looked around at the photos of Natalie and Ryan hanging up on the wall. Lilly took notice of all the pictures of Natalie on the wall; from kindergarten, high school, graduation, and just posing in pictures. Lilly beamed at the pictures; a loving family complete. _

"_Well she was on top of the world. She seemed too girly for me to hang out with." Melinda smiled and began laughing, "Oh yes, nothing could bring her down, she was so feisty," she paused, "Energetic; she loved boys, clothes, make-up, blaring music, and having fun with her friends; just like her father." _

_She looked up at her husband and smiled. Lilly and Kat smiled as well. _

_Michael walked over to the picture frames as he picked one up and looked at it. He then said. _

"_Yeah, that was back then. Months before she died, everything began to fall apart." Kat furrowed her brow. "What do you mean, something happen?"_

_Melinda nodded her head before saying, "It was obviously with Kyle, her ex. She made a mistake like any other girl in love. But that was only a minor problem Other than that, things did go wrong. … with Ryan." _

_(Flashback) _

_(M2M- Mirror Mirror)_

_Natalie lay on her bed feet crossed and was painting her nails. She was out of school for the weekend and decided to take a break from all of the social events to spend more than just a couple of days with her parents. The door was opened to reveal Melinda, slowly approaching her daughter, who seemed tense._

"_Sweetheart, you want to help me fix the table?" Natalie dipped the brush in the polish, her ear phones blocking out her mother's words. Unable to get a response out of her daughter, Melinda walked up to her and placed her hand on her shoulder. _

_Without being warned, Natalie jumped up, her cell phone falling on the floor along with her nail polish remover._

"_Oh honey, I'm sorry, don't worry I got it." She snatched up the spilling polish remover and began to make her way to the cell phone, when Natalie shot up and lunged for it, before Melinda could even lay a finger on it. Her eyes darted to Melinda, then back at the phone. Now it was obvious that she was hiding something. _

"_I…its okay mom. I got it." She closed it shut. Downstairs Michael and Ryan could be heard walking through the door. "We're home!" yelled Michael. _

_Melinda snatched the phone when Natalie wasn't looking and pulled open the text message she had opened. It was a picture of her daughter, topless and smiling, her arm covering her breasts._

_Melinda walked over to the door, and slammed it shut with force, disgust, and shock. "I want an explanation. What is this?" she asked, holding the picture up so her daughter could see it. Natalie tried to look away, but Melinda followed her gaze, so she couldn't. _

"_I sent them to Kyle. Looks like his girlfriend got a hold of it. She showed everybody in school." She finished, her lip quivering. Unable to handle the pressure, she shot out of bed and opened the door, walking down the stairs, with Melinda following her._

"_You do realize if this gets out to the school administration, you can get suspended or maybe even expelled! _

_Natalie brushed past her father and brother and began making her way towards the kitchen when Melinda followed her, stopped her and faced her. She could not let this slide as a parent._

"_We've talked about this sexting before. Have we been talking to the wall all this time?" Melinda looked over seeing Ryan's reaction to the words she used, "Ryan, can we have a moment?" The youngster nodded and ran off to the bathroom._

_Natalie replied to her mother's question, "Well I didn't think it would get to everybody." a single tear ran down her cheek. _

_Caught in the crossfire, Michael stood in between the two girls, "Hang on, what's going on? Sexting?" he hoped for what every father didn't want to hear. The cell phone was pushed in his face by his more-than-angry wife. _

"_Natalie what was going through your head? Were you drinking?" he asked hopefully._

"_No, I didn't think dad."_

"_Was it a bet?"_

"_NO! _

"_Then what was it?"_

"_Kyle sent me pictures of himself, so I sent him some back of myself. But his girlfriend found them and sent them out," Natalie wiped away free falling tears, "He said he loved me, but he's still with her."_

_Melinda and Michael knew Kyle from high school; he and Natalie had dated since their junior year. Before him, she had not been serious with any other boy. _

"_You don't have send racy photos of yourself; it makes you look bad and desperate. Just be yourself," Said Melinda as she began stroking her daughter's hair, "There may be some differences, heck even if he's a bad guy, he might end up wanting to change for you, because he loves you. You're smarter than that." Natalie was now smiling a wide smile, and it was all real. _

_But the relief between the trio was cut short when a crash was heard from the bathroom. They all ran towards the sound only to find Ryan's unconscious body; Michael knelt her husband and son.. "Ryan! Wake up, Daddy's here. Somebody call 911!" Michael was screaming hysterically, Melinda was crying, and all Natalie could do was stand there in shock. _

_(End Flashback)_

_Melinda, now sitting on the couch, held her hand over her mouth, with her eyes closed trying to fight back tears. Michael figured his wife had been through enough, bringing up the painful event. _

"_Ryan was very sick, he um, needed a kidney transplant. Natalie wanted to help pay for the surgery and took out a loan but plowed herself in debt. After she was killed, her sorority sisters held a fund raiser. But, something weird happened." _

_Lilly looked at him, "What's that?" she asked. _

_Michael went on again, "Somebody accessed her account and filled it with money, enough to pay for the surgery." _

"_Weird, you think it was the money she made stripping? Kat asked._

_Michael shook his head and said, "I don't know, I knew she was desperate, but I didn't think she'd do something below herself."_

_Melinda cut him off, "But you know she would have wanted to help." _

_Lilly walked up to Melinda and placed her hand on her shoulder, letting them know they were in good hands. "Mrs. Ashford, we can't stop once we start. We will find whoever did this." _

_Lilly said with a confident smile. The couple wrapped their arms around each other. Lilly and Kat began making their way towards the door, until Michael spoke again, "And Ryan, you'll tell him right?" _

_Lilly looked at them skeptical, "Of course, we'll tell him." _

_Michael continued to talk, "When Ryan finally got old enough to know what really happened, he began acting out a lot; got in trouble a lot in high school, fighting. Ever since he finished up in alternative school, he doesn't come around much, but he visits her grave every year." _

"_Okay." Kat nodded. "And this girl her ex was dating, do you know her name?"_

"_No, but you can talk to her friend Amy. She knew more about Natalie than we did. She was in the same sorority as Natalie, now she's the house mother." Said Melinda._

_Kat nodded and opened the door. "We'll go talk to her."_

_Michael nodded while holding his wife close, "Thank you."_

_Both detectives nodded and let themselves out._

"_Back then, they never found her wallet or any ID on her body. But, you think they'd empty her account out." Lily said, opening the car door._

"_Yeah, but when you're 19 and in love, you would kill to be with a man. Home girl was real feisty; no way was Natalie getting to her ex. Let's hear Amy's side of the story."_


	5. Author's Note

Alrighty, so I've had this fanfic written out for over a year; when they announced Cold Case was going off the air, I sent the episode I made out... but it kept coming back so I kept it.

I've read over it, but I don't like it anymore, so I want to rearrange some parts. It may take time cause school's bout to start, plus I wanna finish my other fanfic first "Not So Innocent Teenage Fun" my Code Lyoko fic. So if you can, pleeze read and review, Bunny appreciates!


	6. Girls Will Be Girls

_At Philadelphia State University, in the Kappa Alpha Psi Sorority house, Amy Hines, Natalie's best friend, stood at the entrance of the house staring at at Lilly and Kat. It flashes back to her at 18, then flashes back to her current age of 37. _

"_I'm so glad you're looking into this. Natalie was my best friend ever since elementary school. I knew something was wrong, but I had no idea she was stripping…that wasn't the girl we knew." she said to the pair. _

_Lilly nodded and responded to her question. "It was to pay off for Ryan's chemo treatments; desperation kicks in." Amy looked down, unable to look them in the eye. _

"_If it wasn't her outer beauty that got people's attention, it was definitely the heart she had; she was a true sweetheart."smiled Amy, making Kat and Lily smile; from the sound of it, Amy was truly blessed with a true friend._

"_After Ryan… well, she distanced herself from everybody. We respected her and gave her space; gave her time to pull it together, but it took a little longer than we thought." She finished. _

"_And that was it? Did anybody else try to make her feel better?" asked Kat. Amy rolled her eyes, scoffing while shaking her head. _

"_Well yes, and then no. While there were most of us lending out support, there was one person who had no heart."_

_(Flashback)_

_(Goo Goo Dolls- Iris)_

_In the cafeteria, Amy and a few other girls were sitting at a lunch table laughing and talking amongst their clique. The smile on Amy's face quickly faded when one of the girls tapped her on the shoulder and pointed toward the lunch line. Walking from the line and to a vacant table was Natalie. _

_She hardly had any make-up on, her eyes were red form crying, and her cheeks were stained with dry tears. She wore a pair of navy blue of Hollister sweat pants with a yellow A&E shirt, the year 1987 written across it. Her hair was in a messy bun and she wore her white framed Chanel prescription glasses to shield her eyes a bit._

_Eyes darted toward her direction; some people stared while others were whispering in each other's ears. _

_Amy solemnly looked at her friend trying to fight the tears that threatened to fall down her face, but the pity she felt was now replaced with anger when Ashley and her friends began to make her way towards the table Natalie was sitting at. _

_Sitting on the other side of the cafeteria was Kyle, who nervously remained in his seat, knowing there was drama getting ready to unfold. _

_Natalie dropped a French fry she was lazily chewing on when she heard Ashley clear her throat. _

"_Suck it up already, at least he's not dead yet. You should be thankful." Natalie shot out of her seat and got in Ashley's face. _

"_Just walk away Ashley. I know your boobs are bigger than your brain, so I'm warning you to get out of my face before I kick your teeth down your throat." hissed Natalie. _

_Ashley lamely giggled and spat back in her face. _

"_Who cares about brains? Kyle would rather have the boobs. Why don't you go running home to your kid brother?" Natalie breathing faster and harder was seething with anger, waiting on the wrong words to come out of Ashley's mouth._

"_Might as well stay glued to him before he dies."_

_All it took was those arrogant words and within seconds Natalie's hand collided with Ashley's face. In a flash, both girls were rolling on the ground, punching and pulling hair. Some people tried pulling them apart, while others pulled out their cell phones, cheering and recording the fight. _

_Kyle and Amy shoved through the crowd and made their way to the pair, pulling them apart as the fighting girls tried to get last minute blows in. Amy held onto Ashley while Kyle had Natalie. Both girls were a mess: hair wild and all over the place, clothes covered in dirt and food, and busted lips and bloody noses._

"_I warned you heartless bitch," she said struggling through Kyle's grip, "Don't ever talk about Ryan like that as long as you walk this Earth!" she roared. _

"_This isn't over; I'll rip your throat out for scratching my face!" Ashley screamed. _

_Kyle tried to stop Ashley from talking. "Shut up!" he roared. _

_Everybody jumped at his booming voice, including Natalie, Amy, and Ashley. "You're nothing but a heartless whore. You're all about getting at people no matter what they're going through."_

_People began to mutter hateful words towards the raven haired girl, making her feel stupid and embarrassed. Ashley's eyes darted back and forth between the crowd and Kyle._

"_I mean just try to have a heart for her brother and stop being selfish, he's just a kid. You shouldn't even be standing let alone breathing for saying that. You better believe this is over." He muttered, right in her face hoping those words would never be forgotten or ignored._

_Everybody's eyes got big, their mouths hung open, and even some were laughing. Ashley looked around with embarrassment and hurt in her eyes. She pushed past Amy and stomped out of the cafeteria. Amy looked at Kyle and Natalie with shock written all over her face._

_(End Flashback)_

"_Ashley Torrez was our best friend in high school; until she was exposed for what she really was… a backstabbing slut." She said looking at the detectives. _

"_What about this Kyle? Getting it on with Ashley, but still had a heart for Natalie." asked Kat walking to the other end of the table. _

"_Kyle Jergens was her ex. He and Natalie fought over the pettiest things so, he hooked up with Ashley. After the fight, he finally dumped her, but Nat was too stubborn to listen to what he tried to say to her." _

_Amy began walking through the house over to a wall where there pictures hung of all the Sorority sisters back in 1990. Lilly and Kat followed her. _

"_Ashley lives in Philly; she's a dental hygienist and she's doing pretty good. Married, has a family and everything. However, Kyle, he met a girl named Jamie four months after Natalie died. They eloped to New Jersey after graduation."_

_Kat eyes went up to the ceiling. "Great." She mumbled. "It not all bad detectives. Kyle wasn't even in town when Nat was killed." said Amy. _

_Kat furrowed her brows and looked at her. "How do you know?" _

_Amy answered the question. "Marine science class took a onr week trip to Orlando right when she was murdered. It's not even humanly possible to have happened." She finished. Kat shook her head at the point Amy made. "Right. Ashley still here at the time?" _

"_Yep. Walking the same halls with us. Sitting in the same classes as well. After Natalie died she seemed..." she threw her hands up as she trailed off, trying to find the word to fit for her sentence._

_"Like she was somewhere else." questioned Lily, crossing her arms._

_"Yeah. If you aske me, it was more out of guilt than being sad."_

_Kat smacked her lips, leaning onto the stairwell. "And after that altercation in the lunchroom, Kyle calling her out, and everyone turning on her, she'd have every reason to want to get at Natalie. Your dear friend Ash sounded like the kind of girl to go all out."_


End file.
